Apparatus for adjusting settable printing wheels disposed on a bearing sleeve



Dec. 9, 1969 H, JUNG APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING SETTABLE PRINTING WHEELS DISPOSED ON A BEARING SLEEVE Filed May 19, 1967 V L I n g I United States. Patent 0 Int. Cl. B41 21/60 us. or. 101-110 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for adjusting selectively rotatable, settable printing wheels or wheel sets disposed on a bearing sleeve adjacent each other by means of a setting axle rotatably mounted and axially displaceable with a single, laterally disposed setting wheel for all printing wheels, comprising a frame. The bearing sleeve is centrally rotatably mounted at both ends in the frame and has a longitudinal slot complementary to the width of the set of the printing wheels. The setting axle sits rotatably and axially displaceably in a light fitting seat within the bearing sleeve and a driving pin is rigidly connected with the setting axle for selective engagement with the, printing wheels centrally mounted in snug fit on the bearing sleeve.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for adjusting printing attachments disposed on a bearing sleeve, in general, and to anapparatus for adjusting a plurality of printing wheels, disposed adjacent to each other on wheel for each printing wheel maintained within a frame,

with a corresponding bearing sleeve for each pair of printingand setting wheels and bearings, respectively, of a pair of wheels on the inner common rotary axis, there are also conventionalsetting devices with only one single hand wheels on the outsidefor all printing and setting gears. For the last-mentioned setting devices, a hand wheel is mounted on one side of the axle passing outside the frame, which axle is displaceable in the longitudinal direction, as well as being simultaneously rotatably mounted, in order to select and then to be selectively set, due to its rotary movement; respectively, by means of a driving pin or nose disposed on the setting ,discs of the individual printing wheels. There are also, at the same time, setting indication wheels disposed outside of the frame operating by means of a displacement movement in a proper wheel engagement. f

The printing wheels and the outside setting indication wheel's, respectively, are thereby freely disposed on one a side only on bearing sleeves retained in the frame, being merely rotatably mounted on the setting axle. The bearing sleeves freely engage, by means of elevations, toothings and grooves, respectively, the corresponding recesses of bores within the gears, in order to secure and arrest, respectively, the wheels in their prevailing setting position (see US. Patent No. 3,024,724). The drawbacks of these setting devices for printing and indicating wheels are, on the one hand, the retention of the bearing sleeves for these gears in the frame only on one side, and furthermore, with only loose engagement between the longi- 3,482,512 Patented Dec. 9, 1969 2 tudinal teeth, thereby securing the proper setting position between a bearing sleeve and the inner teeth of the wheels and also between the wheel bores and the bearing sleeves themselves, respectively. Due to the bearing play and tolerances opposite to each other, differences in the print height of the individual wheels result, of necessity, which differences are too large, and the print line is insulliciently straight.

It is, therefore, one object of. the present invention to provide an apparatus for adjusting printing attachments disposed on a bearing sleeve, which by means of only a single setting wheel for all printing wheels results in simplified arrangements, which simultaneously assure unobjectionable printing.

The device for selectively adjusting printing wheels mounted on a bearing sleeve adjacent to each other by means of a setting axle disposed rotatably and longitudinally displaceably within the bearing sleeve, is characterized by the feature that a bearing sleeve .iscentrally and rotatably mounted in a printing wheel frame and has a longitudinal slot corresponding to the width of the prevailing wheel sets, for the engagement of a driving pin rigidly connected with the setting axle and is mounted rotatably and longitudinally displaceably within the bearing sleeve, for the selective engagement of the printing wheels rotatably and centrally mounted in a fitting seat. By this arrangement, a fitting assembly of the setting axle and of the bearing sleeve retained at both ends within the frame, as well as simultaneously a mounting of the printing wheels rotatably without play on the bearing sleeve,'are made possible. Accordingly, the relative engagement is less sensitiveas to tolerance, than heretofore, and unobjectionable printing of the print type from the wheels disposed exactly next to each other, are assured, since the forces occurring in the printing by the bearings are equally and unchangeably assumed.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention, which is disclosed by example only, will be clearly understood in'connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an axial section of a set of printing wheels in a frame with a setting device mounted in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. :2 is a section along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, through the'inner setting axle and bearing; sleeve for the printing wheels; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the bearing sleeve having a longitudinal slot.

Referring now to the drawing, the apparatus designed in accordance with the present inventioncomprises ten printing wheels or discs 1 disposed adjacent to each other and arranged in a frame 12 as a wheel set. The printing wheels 1 are disposed on a sleeve 3 which is centrally and rotatably mounted at its opposite ends in bushings 4 and 6, respectively, in Ia snug fit with its inner bores 2. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, the bearing sleeve 3 has a longitudinal slot 8 corresponding with the prevailing width of thewheel sets for receiving a setting pin 9 which extends crosswise through an axle 10. The pin 9 is longitudinally displaceable within the sleeve 3 and simultaneously rotatable for selective engagement in recesses or notches 1" within the bearing bores 2 of the'printing wheels 1, which are radially corresponding to the prevailing type and number of the printing wheels 1, as can be ascertained from .FIG. 2.

The setting axle 10 is mounted for easy insertion and is.

into the recesses or notches 1 of the bearing bores 2 of the printing Wheels 1 for the setting of the latter. The bearing sleeve 3 for the printing wheel gears 1 always rotates jointly with the setting axle 10, due to the pin 9 projecting through the slot 8 and thus always remains in the same fitting engagement with the faces of the inner walls 2 of the printing wheels 1 without the .disadvantageous intermediate space that occurs in the structures of the prior art, as disclosed above. The arresting or locking of the printing wheels takes place forcibly by levers 12 rotatably pivoted to the frame 12 at the pivot 12", which levers l2 always enter in segment-like recesses of a Wheel rim 1 laterally provided on each printing wheel by means of counter-bearing spring tongues 13, in order to secure each printing wheel 1 against undesirable rotation from its position. For the lateral axial displacement of the setting axle 10, the latter is equipped with corresponding resting grooves 15 corresponding with the width of the printing Wheels 1, in which resting grooves 15 a ball 14 is received therebelow under the effect of a pressure spring 16 disposed in the bushing 6, whereby the force of the spring 16 is controlled by a threaded bolt 17. An indication for the set printing type of the adjacent wheels 1 can be suitably performed by means of an indicating lever rigidly connected with the outer part of the setting axle 10 between the hand wheel 11 and the bearing bushing 6 by means of a bow arm. Upon longitudinal displacement of the axle 10, the indicating lever connected therewith is then passed laterally along the printing type wheels and indicates'on the prevailing printing wheel 1, a printing type 18 which is always by the setting axle 10. Upon rotary movement of the setting axle 10, this indicator lever remains in front of the printing wheels 1, so that the printing types 18' pass by in a rotary movement.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for adjusting selectively rotatable, settable printing Wheels or wheel sets rotatably mounted on a single bearing sleeve adjacent each other by means of a setting axle rotatable mounted and axially displaceable within said single bearing sleeve, comprising a frame,

said single bearing sleeve being centrally rotatably mounted at both ends and axially immovable within said frame and having a longitudinal slot complementary to the width of the set of said printing wheels,

each of said printing wheels having a plurality of type bearing projections at its outer periphery and a plurality of notches equal in number with that of said projections on its inner periphery,

said setting axle sitting rotatably and axially displaceably in al ight fitting seat within said bearing sleeve closed at one end by said frame,

a driving pin crossing said setting axle and movable in said longitudinal slot for selective engagement into said notches of said printing wheels centrally mounted in snug fit on said bearing sleeve, and

a hand wheel secured to the free end of said setting axle for controlling the rotary and axial movement of said setting axle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,131,959 3/1915 Robbins 101-110 1,188,828 6/1916 Putman 101-110 1,588,410 6/1926 Gouldbourn et al. 101-110 X 1,663,588 3/1928 Glass 101-110 1,713,528 5/1929 Glass 101-110 1,868,997 7/1932 Speicher 101-110 1,978,225 10/1934 Putman et a1 101-110 2,125,877 8/1938 Bayerdortfer 101-110 2,249,627 7/1941 Drucker et al 101-110 2,966,843 1/1961 Eckley 101-110 3,024,724 3/1962 Angus 101-110 3,157,116 11/1964 Reiner 101-110 WILLIAM B. PENN, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 101-85, 99 

